Vampire Princess Miyu TV Vol. #3 (Mania.com)

The Review!The third volume of Vampire Princess Miyu shows that Tokyopop is starting to get better, and as the second volume has done, the mistakes in volume one have been corrected.

AUDIO:This disc provides two audio options, a Japanese Stereo track, and an English Stereo track. Neither language tracks had any disortion or drop-outs. On the note of subtitles, a second subtitle track has been added, "Signs Only" (no more overlays!). The subtitles don't seem to run off the screen this time, as New Generation Pictures use a slightly smaller font..

VIDEO:The picture was fairly good. There was little artifacting in the more darker scenes. There is little more rainbowing this time, and I didn't notice any bleeding.

PACKAGING:Tokyopop uses great Japanese cover artwork for the front of the cover. Though the artwork is nice, it is slightly spoiler-ish, as this cover isn't used until the end of the series. The cover features Miyu holding Chisato. The back features a summary, and short synopsis on the four episodes. The insert also has the cover presented in it's "border" which was on the original Japanese covers. A four-page booklet is also provided, with comments from the Shinma designer on the Shinma designs.

MENUS:Tokyopop has Nightjar doing their menus, which look very good. The main menu features an image of Larva with four selections, Play, Set-Up, Scenes, and Extras. The sub-menus uses some of the design sketches of the Shinma which are featured in the booklet. The scene menus are done very nicely. All six chapter stops are listed.

EXTRAS:Aside from the four-page booklet, the only extra on the disc this time is the Original Japanese Opening, which seems that it will hopefully be on the rest of the discs.

CONTENT:This series is still being fun, even if it's still episodic. Some really great stories here, and my mother has even found a few of them amusing as well.

(Potential Spoiler Warning)

In episode 8 ("Red Shoes"), Chisato invites an unpopular girl, Miho, to an audition for sining talent. Miho is really there to support Chisato, but is strangely chosen to be a singer. As she practices, she puts herself down, but her instructor gives her a pair of red "magical" shoes. When Miho puts them on, she suddenly begins singing with a beautiful voice.

In episode 9 ("Your House"), a couple go suicide in their own home, the family is sad by what has happened and have given the neighbors the couple's "son". The child is actually a cat, and bring another couple good luck. But, the woman begins to miss work, and starts calling the cat her "baby". The cat begins starting trouble for this happy couple.

In episode 10 ("Swamp of Promises"), is about a trip Miyu and her friends go on to a Hot Springs. The small town seems to be infested with snakes, and Chisato gets lost in a non-existant forest. She meets a young boy who mistakes her for the girl he had promised to wait for. Chisato agrees to play with the lonely child. When Chisato leaves for the night, Miyu appears before the boy and reveals how she thought he was a Shinma. The boy gets confused and Reiha appears. Thinking the boy is a Shinma, Reiha destroys a nearby shrine while trying to dispose of the boy, releasing the true Shinma from its seal.

In episode 11 ("A Supple Face"), a man is shot and killed, and he is somehow brought back to life. He finds himself with a new face, and another chance to make his girlfriend very happy, by doing things she always wanted to do with his old self. But, he strangely wakes up to find himself in other spots in the city, with clues that he may be murdering people. The female doctor, who gave him a new face, reveals that he is killing people, and making others, like his girlfriend, very happy (very happy that the people they hate are now dead).

So ends another disc, and a plead for more. The dub has something missing. Wendee Lee is still there as Reiha, but Kimberly Brown seems to have been replaced, by another VA who doesn't do a very good job. Darn, and right when Miss Brown was improving so well.